Rip Hamilton (Chicago Bulls)“They’re different. When you go into the game, you know with him, he’s coming off curls, he’s coming off pindowns. He really spaces the floor for Paul [Pierce] to go ahead and to what he do, for KG [Kevin Garnett] to do what he do. It was a guy that you never ever could not guard.”

Ramon Sessions (Charlotte Bobcats)“You can definitely tell they look different. They just play a little different without him out there. When he comes in, he kind of solidifies that second unit. I think they brought in JT [Jason Terry] to fill that role. He kind of started off to a slow start but I think once it gets deeper into the season, being a veteran, he’ll kind of take over that role. You definitely defend them differently any time Ray’s not out on the court because Ray is a pure shooter and they ran a lot of sets for him with that second unit. It’s definitely a different vibe and a different feel with that second unit now that he’s not out there. They still play the same way, I think. Of course in the back of their minds, they probably miss him a little bit because he’s a guy that can hit big shots. But I think JT will step in and fill that void.”

Luol Deng (Chicago Bulls)“It’s going to be difficult. Ray Allen takes so much attention and he gets guys shots. He made a big difference for them. You could always replace everyone. It’s just, how do you do it? It’s not going to be one guy. Don’t think that you’re going to bring one guy in and he’s going to just fill in the shoes. It takes a team effort and a team goes in a different direction, whether it’s Paul Pierce or Kevin or [Rajon] Rondo who are scoring more. I think people fall into, ‘This guy’s gone, so this guy has to be that guy.’ It’s never like that. Every individual is different. That’s why every time you get a superstar in the NBA, people want to compare the new player to him and it’s never the same because everyone is so different, our fingerprints are different. You’re just not going to get the same thing.”

Marcin Gortat (Phoenix Suns)“Obviously they’re missing their sharpshooter, but still, they’ve got so much talent. They’ve got so many guys that can shoot the ball, they still run a great system, they’ve still got KG who’s running the whole defense, they have Rajon Rondo who can distribute the ball so well. So I don’t think there’s a huge drop off from Ray Allen. Obviously the team would be better if he would have stayed, but right now they’re still pretty good.”

Tony Allen (Memphis Grizzlies)“That’s a Hall of Fame kind of guy. So that right there just lets you know, they’re missing Ray. Period, point blank. They’re missing Ray.”

The Celtics have gotten better without Ray, but the team flow hasn't. They still run an offense that helped Ray get open looks. Ray was the focus because it really opened up everything else. Plus as they say he was a sharpshooter. I believe this team would have been in the same place with,or without Ray. That's how I feel. What do you guys think?

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3 Comments

We needed Ray to come off the bench, and he refused to do it. He's now coming off the bench for Miami, and hitting easy threes thanks to Lebron and Wade. Of course we miss him. But when your gf walks out the door and gives you the finger, suitcase in hand, should you give up on life? Or do you try to make a new life? We are trying to make a new life. Unfortunately, Doc still thinks Ray is going to walk through that door...